New chief looks to improve airport

TUPELO – A few hours into his new job as executive director of the Tupelo Regional Airport, Josh Abramson was getting familiar with the issues already stacked on his plate.
First, there’s the matter of the flight schedule in and out of Tupelo, which changed two weeks ago, will change again in another two weeks and then will change yet again in June. And there’s the matter of a hotly contested multi-million-dollar runway extension project.
Abramson, 33, was one of six finalists for the job. He replaces Terry Anderson, who was fired by the Tupelo Airport Authority in December.
Abramson said he was quickly getting up to speed on the scheduling and extension project, as well as other issues.
“There’s been a lot of changes the last two years here; it’s a full plate,” he said with a smile.
Having met with some area leaders on Friday, including Mayor Jack Reed Jr. and Airport Authority member Glenn McCullough Jr., Abramson said he appreciates the warm welcome and the show of support he’s received.
He has spoken to several people who use Tupelo Regional and said he knows things can be better.
“When I talk to people, they fly out of Tupelo because they support Tupelo,” he said. “By that, they mean it may not be convenient to fly out of Tupelo, but they do it because they support it.
“We want to shift that and make it where it is more convenient to fly out of Tupelo. I’ve got a special plan to make it happen, and we’ll be getting that information out soon.”
Abramson said one of his major objectives is raise the community’s awareness about the airport, including website improvements and using social media such as Facebook.
“We’re going to have an all-out effort with passengers, the airline and the airport,” he said. “It’s more than just having an airline and passengers. We want to get the airport really involved with the community.”